President Yoweri Museveni has condemned the forced land-sharing agreements between landlords and tenants.
On Sunday, President Yoweri Museveni celebrated his 80th Birthday at Kijjaguzo Parish , Semuto town council in Nakaseke district.
The area was chosen by Museveni to host the event in remembrance of the 1981-1986 National Resistance Army war. President Museveni camped in the area during the war and it was a coordination center within the Greater Luwero districts. It’s also where a resident Annamaria Nakimpi hid Museveni’s mother during the war.
The birthday event began with a thanksgiving mass led by Rt Rev. Joseph Anthony Zziwa the Bishop of Kiyinda Mityana Diocese and later Museveni cut a cake cut together with his family.
Bishop Zziwa the Chairman of the Episcopal Conference congratulated Museveni upon making 80 years saying it’s a golden landmark as quoted in Psalm 90:10.
Bishop Zziwa also hailed Museveni for initiating many wealth programs that sought to uplift Ugandans during his leadership.
He called upon Ugandans to emulate the liberators and stop the selfishness that had ruined the Nation.
Janet Kataaha Museveni the First Lady thanked the Lord for protecting the President for 80 years and prayed that God continue to bless him so that he could fulfill more plans for Uganda.
President Yoweri Museveni gave thanks to the Lord for the 80 years of life and said the celebration is not about him but for all fighters as well as Pan-Africanists who sacrificed everything for the Country.
He used the birthday to reiterate his position that landlords should stop forcing tenants to pay huge ground rent and share pieces of land with them saying it’s illegal.
Museveni said that forced landing agreements are not within the Land Act and Constitution hence tenants shouldn’t accept them.
Museveni also urged the landlords to accept the nominal ground respect as set by the district council saying this was done out of respect to them rather than commercial grounds.
Rosemary Namayanja the Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement said that it turned into common practice for the landlords to coerce tenants to surrender part of their land to them so as give them land titles.
Namayanja asked the President to reign on the land grabbers to enable the tenants to stay on their pieces of land and engage in wealth creation programs.
Land wrangles are among the issues that haunt Museveni, especially in areas that supported his guerrilla war. Several veterans and their children have lost land to the grabbers.
